As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 152 The Dawn Cup Begins

"Senior Sister Xiong will not agree."

A fervent light shone in Hou Zhijian's eyes, but after his Adam's apple bobbed for a moment, the light dimmed. He shook his head and said, "Although Senior Sister Xiong has made a lot of changes to the Kuangtie Club, using sealing cards in training and using sealing cards on the arena are two completely different concepts, not to mention so many... unorthodox methods."

"Once we adopt the Wilderness Zone tactics in the arena, regardless of victory or defeat, the reputation of the no-card strategy will be ruined in our hands."

"That's right, and so is my uncle!"

The thought of Xiong Tieshan's stubborn and unyielding attitude, like a rock in a latrine, made Xiong Chenghu feel a little scared. He said with a worried look, "Even if my cousin agrees, my uncle will never agree to us doing this. When I went to see him last night, he was still on the hospital bed, trembling as he held my hand and said that after Chu Zhifeng left, the future of Wukaliu would all depend on me."

"If he sees me with a card reader strapped to my arm in the ring, it will definitely trigger his heart condition!"

Xu Yan looked at the three of them calmly.

Three seconds later, he smiled.

"Yes, that's true, it was my oversight."

Xu Yan said calmly, "I originally thought that it was impossible for you to undergo such a complete transformation in just half a month and cultivate the cardless style to the pinnacle."

"Your greatest advantage is that you are unknown. Apart from Chu Zhifeng, your competitors know nothing about you."

"In the spirit battles in the border region, how many outstanding young talents can stand out from the crowd? The gap between most contestants is not that big. As long as you make the most of your advantages, you have a real chance to create miracles."

"And half a month is enough time for you to learn how to hide cards, how to forcibly activate sealed cards without a card reader, how to combine cardless flow with civilian cards, how to spew trash talk, and all sorts of very practical unorthodox methods."

"However, you are, after all, cardless players and staunch believers in the Absolute God Path."

"Then pretend I never said anything."

"Since you are willing to uphold the dignity of those who practice the cardless cultivation method and fight and sacrifice yourselves honorably, I will absolutely respect your fate!"

These are Xu Yan's true feelings.

Although he really wanted to help the Kuangtie team and take the opportunity to open up new prospects for his second-hand card business.

But ultimately, this is not his battle.

He is willing to help anyone who dares to fight against fate to the very end, no matter what.

They are unwilling to waste any effort on losers, cowards, and fools who are destined to be eliminated.

These words, however, made the three of them hesitate.

"But……"

Xiong Chenghu looked conflicted.

As someone who had just been knocked to the ground three times in a row, no one knew the effects of so-called "unorthodox methods" better than him.

Moreover, Xu Yan was right; these low-level tricks were not that difficult to master.

A card reader is strapped to the arm.

Hiding cards and exchanging cards.

Spouting trash talk.

These little tricks won't affect his normal performance as a cardless cultivator!
As for the Black Iron Civilian Card, it was something he secretly used in his daily life. These days, apart from old stubborns like his uncle, how many die-hard believers of the Absolute God Path don't even use half a sealing card in their daily lives?
What's more, when he went to the hospital to visit his uncle last night, all the medical instruments had sealing cards inserted into them, and there were healing guardian spirits swirling around his uncle, but did his uncle blow them all up with a single punch?
This rebellious thought flashed through the mind of the fifteen-year-old boy.

The rebellious teenager glanced at Hou Zhijian, then at his older brother who was deep in thought. Seeing that neither of them explicitly objected, he scratched his head and said, "I... I don't object to learning more schools of thought and techniques; the situation can't get any worse anyway. But how can I convince my sister and uncle?"

"That's your problem."

Xu Yan said, "If you can't even overcome this obstacle and are unwilling to bear the consequences, I don't think you can achieve the desired results in the Dawn Cup or any competition afterward."

As they were speaking, heavy footsteps came from outside the door.

You could tell how exhausted Xiong Ruyue was just from the sound of her footsteps.

The door lock started turning.

"Should we just watch the Kuangtie Club close down, or should we let the Kuangtie Club and even the no-card strategy be reborn?"

Xu Yan looked into the eyes of the three people. "Now, make your choice!"

……

half a month later.

Xiong Tieshan gripped his four-pronged cane tightly. The veins on the back of his thin, age-spotted hand crisscrossed. He struggled to get back to his hospital bed from the toilet. His hospital gown was soaked with sweat. The stabbing pain in his chest rippled like waves for a while before gradually subsiding.

He grinned, his mouth full of bitterness.

But their gazes were drawn to the old-fashioned television set with a spherical screen embedded in the corner of the wall.

This light and shadow playback system, originating from the Age of Wonders, connected to three local channels of Dawn City.

At this very moment, all three channels are broadcasting the same content live—the upcoming Dawn Cup Youth Spirit Master Challenge, the largest, highest-level, and most competitive tournament to date!

His daughter was worried about his health and afraid that he would be stressed. Last night, she repeatedly told him to rest well, watch less TV, and sleep more.

Hmph, is he such a fragile person who can't withstand setbacks?

Besides, even without watching the live stream, he knew that the outcome of Kuangtie's team's trip to the Dawn Cup was definitely bleak.

As his master, he knew perfectly well the true strength of his three remaining treasures.

Even worse off than the players were the coaches and technical team.

Xiong Ruyue is said to be the head coach of the Kuangtie team, but for the past half month, she has been entangled with banks, decoration companies and training equipment manufacturers. In order to delay the payment period by a few days, she often has to run around and beg and plead, and she is busy and overwhelmed.

The Kuangtie team could only train on their own under Hou Zhijian's leadership.

As for the so-called technical team, several experienced veterans were poached by the Shattered Star Club, leaving only Xu Yan, who had just joined. There wasn't even a physical trainer to massage the players and help them recover.

How could such a lineup possibly win the rounds and make it into the quarterfinals?
but--

There is no such thing as a battle in this world where you can only win and never lose.

"Even in a battle where defeat is certain, we must charge forward without hesitation, burning our lives to the extreme and unleashing our strongest punch."

"This is the cardless flow, this is the path of absolute godhood, this is the pride of being human and never yielding!"
"Since the fall of the Kuangtie Club is inevitable, let us unleash the most dazzling light of the no-card strategy in our final battle, and fall spectacularly with the dignity of the Absolute God Path!"

Xiong Tieshan gripped his cane tightly, as if he were holding a rusty, broken sword that could still shatter the remnants of the past.

He turned on the television.

(End of this chapter)